The Joint Commission released a new sentinel event alert focusing on patient falls.
Here are six quick facts:
1. The alert examines the contributing factors to patient falls.
2. It also includes suggested solutions for healthcare organizations to help reduce patient falls.
3. The topic was chosen for Sentinel Event Alert because patient falls with serious injury are among the top 10 sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Database.
4. The Joint Commission has received 465 reports of patient falls with injuries since 2009.
5. Approximately 63 percent of those falls resulted in death.
6. Inadequate assessment and communication failures are among the most common contributing factors to patient falls.